Monster From Green Hell (Blu-Ray Review)
**The Film Detective’s Special Edition for “Monster From Green Hell” came out on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. This is a review of not just the film, but the Blu-Ray Special Edition.**
There are some titles that just beg you to watch them- “Monster From Green Hell” is one of them. Before today, I didn’t know that “green Hell” was a phrase at all in the larger arc of history, but The Film Detective’s Blu-Ray of this 1957 monster feature has shown me the error of my ways. Of course, it makes sense, because I’m sure there are places in the deep jungles of the world that are referred to as “green Hell.” I can’t imagine any of them have giant wasps, though; that’s where a goofy B-movie such as this comes into play.
I would think I would have remembered in this Kenneth G. Crane film was on “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” at some point. If it wasn’t, it probably should have been. This movie came out when science fiction was playing off of fears of giant insects and lizards attacking us in the vein of Godzilla, and horror was silly with monsters that were more absurd than terrifying. As one starts to watch more from that era, you just let yourself lean into the ridiculousness, and enjoy the ride. I enjoyed “Monster From Green Hell”- in no way is it high art, but it’s fun to watch.
The “Green Hell” of the title here is in Africa, where scientists come to try and determine the effects of radiation of Earth creatures. One such scientist is Dr. Quent Brady (Jim Davis), who actually might have a larger part in this particular discovery- mutant wasps- than people realize. There’s more to the story, but not much more.
If you’ve seen one creature feature from the ’50s, you’ve basically seen them all in terms of production values, writing, and performance. “Monster From Green Hell” isn’t exactly one of the best ones, but it’s hardly an embarrassing one. Yes, the mutant wasps look ridiculous, and the stereotypes and stock footage are equally dated, but at 71 minutes, this film flies by, and you won’t really care. That the final sequence of the film is in color- the first time it’s been seen this way in decades- is a nice touch, and a good moment for this silly movie from a bygone era of film to end on.
Blu-Ray Presentation
This is The Film Detective- do I really need to go through the routine? This is a new 4K restoration of the film, and they do as good a job with the image and sound as you could expect, with it looking and sounding as good as it might have in 1957. (The black and white, in addition to the color climax, both look very good.) One thing that does distinguish this release is that it contains both a widescreen (1.85:1 ratio) and the full frame version (1.33:1) that played on TV for decades; I like this because, while I will never watch that one, I can see it resonating with people whom only saw that version of the film. (Plus, it’s a decent primer for what a difference full frame vs. widescreen really is.)
In terms of bonus features, we get some of the usuals we’ve come to expect. First up is a color booklet with an essay that sets the stage for the film. This one is called, The Men Behind the Monsters, wherein author Don Stradley discusses the era that game us movies such as “Monster From Green Hell.” The audio commentary here is by artist and author, Stephen R. Bissette, and it’s an informative listen. We also get a small video essay from C. Courtney Joyner called, “Missouri Born: The Films of Jim Davis,” that is another good watch if you enjoy learning about filmmakers and film history.
Film Grade: B
Audio & Video: A
Bonus Features: A-
“Monster From Green Hell” is ridiculous but it’s very fun. The Film Detective delivers a worthy presentation for it.
